New Zealand Sign Language Interpreting Scholarship

You must be enrolled in the above course to be eligible for this scholarship.

This award will be open for applications for 2019 in February 2019.

Before submitting your application please read each section of this page carefully.

The information we provide on this page is an indication only. The letter of offer that we will send you if your application is accepted will provide fuller details.

What the scholarship provides

The scholarship will:

pay you $3,000 per year of study, paid in 2 instalments

pay you one off travel and accommodation assistance if you have had to relocate to Auckland to attend the course, to a maximum of $1,500 on top of the scholarship payment.

Who is eligible for this scholarship

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

Be accepted into the AUT’s Bachelor of Arts: New Zealand Sign Language: English Interpreting course.

Study full time.

Be a New Zealand citizen or have New Zealand permanent residency.

Not be repeating a failed course.

We will give priority to applicants who:

can demonstrate proficiency (NCEA level 1 equivalent or higher) in Te Reo Māori, a Pasifika language or a spoken language in addition to English that is widely used by children who attend early childhood centres and schools in New Zealand

provide evidence of that proficiency in the form of a formal qualification or written reference from a tertiary institution, a kaumatua or a community leader.

What to include in your application

Your application must include:

your resume

a cover letter outlining particular factors that are appropriate to our assessment (as per the points listed below), your personal strengths and experiences that will assist your future work as an NZSL interpreter, and any special circumstances you would like the selection panel to consider (including flagging if you do not wish to apply for the financial support offered in the scholarship)

academic transcripts of your highest and most recent qualifications

written references from 2 of the following:

a member of the Deaf community

your sign language tutor or lecturer

your employer

your high school teacher or lecturer.

We will use 4 factors to assess your application, and you will be scored on how well your application meets each of these. So make sure your cover letter includes information about each of the following factors:

Your future commitment to working as a sign language interpreter.

Your academic ability.

Your level of financial hardship.

Your understanding of the philosophy and values of deaf culture.

Our decision to grant or not grant a scholarship is final, and we will not enter into any discussion about it.

For more information about the degree

Your responsibilities for meeting the scholarship conditions

If you are granted this scholarship, you must meet certain conditions. The specific terms and conditions will be listed in your letter of offer. In brief, you must:

enrol in your courses at the university

plan your study and workload for the year

pass your course papers

email us at learningsupport.workforce@education.govt.nz if any of the information you provided in your application changes – this includes your employment status and contact details, if you fail any papers and if you change your proposed study.

Failure, withdrawal and breaks in study

If you...

then...

Decide not to start the course after you have enrolled

You must re-apply for a scholarship in the following year. Your scholarship will not be deferred for a year.

Required disclosures

Convictions

Your application must disclose any convictions you have had unless they are covered by the Criminal Records (Clean Slate Act) 2004. This is required to ensure that you would not be prevented from gaining future employment with the Ministry of Education.

You must declare all of your convictions if you have:

been convicted of an offence within the last 7 years; or

been sentenced to a custodial sentence (eg, imprisonment, corrective training, borstal); or

been ordered by a court during a criminal case to be detained in a hospital due to your mental condition, instead of being sentenced; or

been convicted of a ‘special offence’ (eg, sexual offending against children, young people or those mentally impaired); or

not paid in full any fine reparation or costs ordered by the court in a criminal case; or

been indefinitely disqualified from driving under section 65 of the Land Transport Act 1998 or earlier equivalent provision.